Garage floor options

[Heidelberg]

Hi guys,

I'm interested in what you guys have done with your garage floors to keep the dust down and your garages tidy.

I was going to paint my concrete floor in a grey colour mainly to seal the concrete and to smarten the look up a bit.

I have heard that when simply using a concrete paint, the paint can sometimes lift with the rubber tyres sitting on it?

I'd be interested to hear your experiences and your advice...

Regards.....Paul

[Krait]

Hi Paul,

Is this a new slab?

I used a local company to lay down a grey epoxy coating when we built the new shed last year. We let the slab cure for a few months then did an acid wash. 2 coats of epoxy later and it looks pretty good.

Prices varied enormously so shop around.

Cheer

[Mando]

Large ceramic tiles laid checkerboard will do the job, not slippery and easy to keep clean. Let me know if you want to see some pics.

Regards.

[Heidelberg]

Thanks Geoff and Mando...I'd love to see some photo's if you're able to post them?

Geoff - My concrete floor is only about 12 months old....How thick was the epoxy coating and what was the coating's trade name??

Regards.....Paul

[Cameron Parsons]

Paul,

we built a new home here and had the floors sealed with a 3 stage epoxy, let it cure for 3 weeks before putting anything on it. 6 weeks in and no sign of any issues. It's hard as nails.

Citi Duraflek 5000

1200 sq ft, around $2500 for concrete grind, prep seal and non skid final coat.

I can send pics too if you'd like.

Cameron

[razerwire]

Used black and white tile laid down with 1/2 the amount of thinset because I also park a bus conversion on tile which weighs 48000 lbs. We used a laser to set tiles square and helped to go around mill and lathe. If I ever remove mill or lathe the tiles can be set real easy to finish floor. The mill, lathe and two post lift are setting on concrete. The four post lift I set on top of tile with thin piece of belting and did not bolt down. I had race deck at first and it would move under the weight of the bus, real mess if I turned any at all. Have 14' tall door sun comes in and would buckle race deck. Have friends with epoxy paint and they also have bus conversion. They have paint lift. I hve no problems with tile except slippery when wet. If I use floor jacks or engine host I put down 1/2" sheets of osb to work on. I have a dirty room to weld and grind in with exhaust fans, but if need to weld in main room can use leather tarps under car. So easy to keep clean I feel its worth the small problems as noted .

[Paul F]

Cool stuff that dresses up the garage, but how does any of that keep the dust down? It's not like concrete secretes dust.

Now if you had a way for the vehicles to wipe their feet and dust themselves off before they came into the garage....

[Wazza]

Originally Posted by Paul F

Cool stuff that dresses up the garage, but how does any of that keep the dust down? It's not like concrete secretes dust.

Now if you had a way for the vehicles to wipe their feet and dust themselves off before they came into the garage....

I recon that's exactly what unsealed concrete does...it secretes dust.

Good quality concrete paint / sealer will do the job.....but I like that idea of the large ceramic tiles.
Cheers,
Warren.

[PCC]

Until you drop something on the tiles and they crack.

If you've got heaps of money then go with any of the above options.

If its a case that you just don't want dust then simply seal it.

There's plenty of proprietary products on the market with a wide range of colours.

Simply degrease the existing surface (wash it), acid etch it (diluted acid) and then wash again. Once dry seal it.

[Mando]

Wazza is right, concrete expels dust for quite a while until it develops a seal either naturally through use or sealing with an appropriate product.
If you intend sealing the floor, the best thing you could do is to follow Peter Craig's directions. The only thing I would add is to make certain the floor is 100% dry before applying the sealer. If you can leave the floor for 24 hours or heat the room for a while then return the room to normal temp.

Regards.

[Heidelberg]

Thanks everyone...I'm thinking that I'll apply some kind of sealer or epoxy rather than put down tiles in my garage.

Geoff and Cameron, I'd appreciate seeing a few pictures if you're able to post/send via PMs?

Peter...I'd be interested in any recommended proprietary sealing products that are readily avaialble here in Aus...do you have any product that you've successfully used for this purpose? I was considering this product before I posted this thread...http://www.bondall.com/CustomContent...e.aspx?ID=5360 Anyone had 1st hand experience with this product?

Regards.....Paul

[Heidelberg]

Thanks Mando....Might be better to wait until the weather warms up a bit then!!

Regards.....Paul

[Donunder]

Razerwire has had problems with RaceDeck coping with his heavy bus but it's easily capable of supporting a normal car's weight.

Don't know about the cost in Aus, but have a read here: http://www.racedeck.com/acc.html

I've seen some really nice RaceDeck floors but for mine I'd still be inclined to go the etch/seal route, being sure to give plenty of time between the various processing stages and again before use.

[PCC]

Paul,

Bondall's fine or may be something like Aquaseal by Nuplex.

Mando's spot on with the dry comment. It must be bone dry otherwise you'll get peeling issues.

Its a job you can do yourself as long as you follow the instructions to the letter.

Good luck mate

[Krait]

Originally Posted by Heidelberg

Geoff - My concrete floor is only about 12 months old....How thick was the epoxy coating and what was the coating's trade name??

Hi Paul,

The product was Jota 605. Can't remember the thickness of the coating. Some areas got three coats but the majority covered in two. I'll take a photo in the morning...........after I clear some space

Cheers

[Aussie Mike]

Hi Geoff,

Was the epoxy sprayed or rolled on? Is it something you could apply yourself?

What was the cost per Sq Meter approx?

I'll be starting construction on a new workshop in December. I'm already thinking about floor coatings. I've been pretty unhappy with the concrete floor in my current workshop.

Cheers

[Krait]

Originally Posted by Aussie Mike

Was the epoxy sprayed or rolled on? Is it something you could apply yourself?

What was the cost per Sq Meter approx?

Hi Mike,

Worked out about $23/m2 total. It was rolled on I believe, wasn't in the country at the time.

I don't think it would be difficult to do, the acid prep seems to be the trickiest bit. We also waited until the weather warmed up.

Cheers

[razerwire]

I don't know much about where you live but in calif. most garages do not have plastic under the garage slab. Code requires you put plastic under house slab to stop moisture from leaching up into house. When I added on to garage I replaced all the slab and put plastic down. Painted dirty room and have to touch up every so often. Have dropped things on tile and not broken any yet. If any breaks easy to replace. To take care of dust I just run a floor dust mop over and its looks like new. Use water with simple green to get real clean. when car comes in when its raining mop up takes a second. I said I had problem with race deck , to much sun comes in large door, also 2800 sq ft is a large area and race deck does expand and contract. I left 1/2" space at sides but had buckle problems. Race deck seamed to attract dust to me. Tried to keep clean, had to wet mop every 2 days, tile dry mop LOT easyer. Have had tile down 5 years still looks new, house stays cleaner also. Any one need racedeck I have about 1800 sq ft left at .75 each. I think it would be alright for up to two car garage.

[Krait]

Originally Posted by razerwire

I don't know much about where you live but in calif. most garages do not have plastic under the garage slab.

Hi Razerwire,

This is the Australian Cobra Club forum. We also have a requirement to lay down plastic before the slab pour, when done properly. Thanks for your constructive comments.

Cheers

[alffie]

CM floor coating from Wattyl works well. Had mine down for 3 years without a problem. is a two pack and rolled on, make sure you use a lambswool roller as it eats the foam rollers. They will mix it to any colour you like.